


A Second Take, A First Impression

by wakandan_wardog



Series: Wardog's WinterIron Week Fills [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, Humor, Implied Relationships, Minor Character(s), Scars, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-21 04:11:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19995658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wakandan_wardog/pseuds/wakandan_wardog
Summary: A drunk Tony Stark meets his Soulmate at a college party, but James is a gentleman (and Rhodey is scary) so nothing can happen until they're sober. Tony wakes up at an ungodly hour of the morning, confused at his current predicament, and meets his (very attractive, very shirtless) Soulmate all over again. (He wishes he could forget all of this.)This is a fill for the following WinterIron Week prompts:Day 3: Bed Sharing / “I’m not drunk enough for this.” / Soulmates





	A Second Take, A First Impression

Because he’s probably actually cursed, born under a bad star or maybe broke too many mirrors as a kid, Tony Stark wakes up at four-thirty in the morning after a monster college party. He can tell the party’s still going due to the distant thud of music, but there’s a sense that it’s finally dying down as most of the participating body begins to crash, depart, or hook up. The very helpful digital clock on the bedside table advises him of the hour, and he swears at it in three languages in his head. A mixture of still-drunk and the beginnings of hungover, the young billionaire squints blearily around the room for any sort of distinguishing features. 

Sadly, there aren’t many to be found. 

In the pros column, he’s in a room, and even in bed instead of on a table or in the tub. On the cons side of things, it’s a dorm room, like any other dorm room, at first glance. Carpeted floor, two desks off to one side, heavy door set in the far wall closed and apparently locked. The twin lamps on the desks are both on, though one has been knocked over and lays across a stack of textbooks. There are the standard two beds, the one he’s in and the one across the room. They seem identical, this one dressed in blue and that one in red, perhaps a little taller than normal since Tony can’t seem to find the foot of it with his reaching toes. 

As a slight departure from the normal, the bed on the far wall is tucked under a blue nightscape mural, the still-made crimson sheets offsetting the dark swirling colors and delicately painted stars. In most rooms, the decoration is a bit more casual, posters for easy removal or relocation. He has to admire the dark sweeps of color that shift from a black to a deep purple and then shades of blue, glancing over the carefully painted star patterns and picking out actual constellations among them. Either it took a long time, or the artist is very good. 

Aside from the painting and the tipped over lamp, the only thing helpful about the room is that it isn’t Tony’s.

The blue blankets pulled up to Tony’s chin shift suddenly, and a warm arm curls around his waist, hauling him backward. Back into a hot, built body. “Oh my god, I’m totally not drunk enough for this.” 

There’s a sudden stillness in the other party that tells Tony he spoke out loud, and then a low rumbling laugh that he can feel climbing up his spine where he’s pressed to a very muscular chest. “You finally starting to sober up, Darlin’?” 

The Brooklyn drawl does things to him, and without permission, Tony feels a full-body shiver dart from head to toe. _Wow_. He clears his throat with a cough, strengthening his resolve. “I am fully prepared to apologize for anything I might have said or done… In stating that I also acknowledge the extreme likelihood that I probably said or did something that will require an apology and possibly monetary compensation to correct. And I admit that I am both beginning to sober up and still a little too drunk to recall what those things might have been.” 

The body behind him moves like the stranger is muffling laughter, and for a second Tony thinks he feels a face press against the back of his neck. It’s gone the next moment, the stranger pulling back and sitting up with a rustle of movement. Tony rolls backward as his support abandons him, leaving him to sprawl on his back among the dark bedclothes and gaze up at his bunkmate. 

And he promptly went dumbstruck, because _hello gorgeous_. He glances away to swallow loudly and then glances back, and said dream guy is still there, smiling down at him. 

Tony somehow wound up in bed with what might be peak human perfection. Shirtless peak human perfection, no less, because wow is that a very fine chest and stomach on display right now. Whoever this guy is, he’s got dark hair and pale gold skin. Even sitting in bed he’s tall, probably head and shoulders taller than Tony, with a proud jaw and cheekbones. His handsome face has two days worth of stubble, just enough to make him look rugged rather than straight-up beautiful. There’s a grace to the way his arms sweep up to pull his hair back, shoulder-length dark silk strands sliding through his fingers as he tugs it up into a short tail. His eyes are a storm blue when they dart to fix on Tony’s face, a smirk curling at his lips as he ties his hair up and then lowers his arms. “So you weren’t kidding, you really are always like this.” 

There’s a sunburst of scarring from his left shoulder, trailing thin tendrils toward his collarbone and throat, as well as across his left pectoral. It matches the gnarled white sunburst pattern dead-center on Tony’s own chest, and he feels his heart flip over at the sight of it. Suddenly everything comes rushing back, at that moment. 

Going to a party with Rhodey, just for the chance to unwind after finals. Drinking on an empty stomach because he’d forgotten to eat while gearing up for his project unveiling. Running into Steve, who had been his favorite student in the last class he’d served as a TA for. Going from chatting with Steve to being introduced to Steve’s best friend, Bucky. Steve’s very gorgeous best friend, who had reached forward to shake Tony’s hand and then frozen as _something_ sparked through them both.

“Soulmate,” Tony squeaks, hands clenching around the blankets so he doesn’t reach for the man’s scarred shoulder or stubbled jaw. 

His Soulmate laughs, teeth sparkling. “People usually call me Bucky, or James when I’m in trouble… But yeah, yeah Dollface, that’s me.” 

And then Tony is blushing, oh god end him now, because he can’t really remember... 

“Please tell me I didn’t climb into bed with you without introducing myself, and you’re calling me Dollface because you’re too sweet to point that out?” Tony whines, pulling the blankets up to his face as he curls himself over his own knees. 

There’s a moment or two of silence, where Tony’s level of mortification steadily increases and his Soulmate remains notably silent. 

James Barnes grins down at the mouthy brunet scientist that happens to be his Soulmate, watching the kid fold himself in half and hide his face. It leaves his ruffled hair on full display, but other than a blush creeping up the back of his neck, all James can see is the shirt he leant Tony to sleep in. It’s big on Tony but doesn’t exactly drown him. He just looks, comfortable. 

“How the fuck are you so cute?” James asked, amused, as Tony muffled complaints against the bedspread and his own knees. “No Tony, you didn’t climb into bed with me without introducing yourself. I’m callin’ you Doll because I can, because you got pretty cute and bashful about it last night, and it’s just who I am. And you’re sleepin’ in bed with me because it was the best way to keep you still while we waited for you to sober up.” 

“I have the distinct impression I would rather stay drunk for the next week and then start fresh in like, a month,” Tony admits in a muffled tone. 

“Huh, drunk you must be the romantic then.” James muses. “Last night you were all about keeping me forever. I think you proposed on the spot solely because I was _‘hotter than you imagined’_ and I’m pretty sure you even threatened to buy Brooklyn at one point when I said I couldn’t move to Manhattan immediately. Not sure what your strategy was on buying Brooklyn, I kinda gotta finish school first, but I admire the scope of the threat.” 

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Tony whined into the covers. “End me, this is the _worst_.” 

The door snaps open before James can reply, and a slightly-listing James Rhodes stands in the doorway. “Hourly check to make sure nothing’s going down! Lemme see the hands!”

“OH MY GOD!” Tony shrieks, sitting upright and flailing when he sees Bucky raise both hands and wave them in Rhodey’s direction. “GUMMY BEAR WHY!? I’m mortified enough!”

“Oh, you’re awake.” Rhodey settles immediately, giving Tony a smirk. “I told you I was gonna be checkin’ in, no funny business until you’re sober.”

“I’m sober enough to be scarred by this permanently,” Tony counters. “Why are you so chipper at this ungodly hour?” 

“The opportunity to constantly annoy Barnes as he tries to sleep has been a tremendous motivator,” Rhodey admits. “You guys missed Sam kissing Steve, but I took video.”

“Steve made out with Wilson?” Barnes mutters from Tony’s side, then flops back onto his pillows. “Damn it, that means I owe Natasha fifty bucks. I’m not drunk enough for this.” 

Tony flaps a hand at Rhodey, turning and leaning over his Soulmate with a shy grin. Barnes is splayed back on his pillows, face scrunched up like he’s scowling at the inside of his eyelids. “Any chance you wanna get out of here with me to sober up? I’ll buy breakfast.” 

“Yeah?” Blue eyes snapped open, fixing on Tony’s gaze in a minute. “You takin’ me out, Baby?” 

“If you let me, gorgeous,”

“Darlin’, if it gets us out of here and away from your friends and mine? I’m sold. Let me get a shirt and we’ll leave now.”

“Rude, I can hear you,” Rhodey grumbles from the doorway. “Don’t think I won’t be calling to check-in.” 

“It’s our first date, Gumdrop, leave us alone.” Tony returns breezily with a flap of his hand. “Shoo, Honeybear, I want to admire the view in peace.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Bucky jokes with a beaming grin. 

“Ugh, clearly I’m not drunk enough for this,” Rhodes muttered and slammed the door. 

Bucky waited until the door was shut to push down the blankets, smirking at the soft inhale from his Soulmate as he makes a point of slowly crawling down to the foot of the bed before sliding to his feet. “Hope you got a good look, I’m putting more clothes on now.”

“A shame,” Tony swears, fingers tangled in the dark blankets. “A crying shame.” 

“I’m takin' you out to breakfast first, Babydoll,” Bucky grins. “Or you’re takin’ me. Either way, we’re gonna take another shot at that first impression thing.” 

“Good impressions need pancakes,” Tony mumbles and throws back the blankets reluctantly. “Alright… But I’m keeping the shirt.”

**Author's Note:**

> Got busy the last couple days but catching up on these!  
> ❤️ ~Wardog


End file.
